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Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Balance is key...You're either "optimistic" or "realistic"... Can you be both?

Your favorite team often falls into the part of your brain 
where the concept of "balance" is foreign. 

It's kinda like your kids...you love them unconditionally!

They screw up..sure your disappointed, but it doesn't make 
you love them less!

They succeed..your pride is often displayed by a a natural glow 
coming from your face...along with a devilish grin that a surgeon  
couldn't remove!

When it comes to our BELOVED IRISH...well, that takes
me to the dilemma of, am I too "optimistic" and 
are my expectations "realistic"?

This season has reminded me of a Christmas special 
with beautiful ladies, awesome music, incredible stage
decorations...then halfway through you realize your
host for the evening is Charles Manson!


You're deflated...your excitement is tempered and you 
just don't know how the ending is gonna go, 
but your not quite as excited as you 
were when the whole thing started!

Stanford
Home of the overly educated...eccentric and not quite 
as funny as they think they are, really geeky band!

Oh...and the no. 8 Stanford Football team.

Stanford is no joke!
They've played a really odd mix of games this season.

They somehow figured out how to lose to
 Utah...who is 4-7!

Then they completely DESTROYED the 
Ducks who are 9-2

Then with the exit of Lane Kiffen the Trojans 
have pretty much beat the hell outta everyone
they've played including Stanford..but not ND??

So the Cardinal?...who are they?

Well they are a 9-2 team ranked top ten in the country 
who has:

1. Played a TOP 5 Strength of Schedule!

2. Their Defense is 22nd in the country
-but 101st vs the pass!
-and 3rd vs the run!

3. Their Offense is 69th in the country
-32nd rushing the ball!
-90th passing the ball!

So what does that all mean? 

It means lets be "optimistic" 
"But Damefan are you sure?" 

Look I'm from Ohio...I've lived with OVERLY optimistic,
yet WILDLY un-realistic people my entire life!
I know the difference!


Well...I'm here to talk to you about why we should be:

"OPTIMISTIC" 

1. IF...IF we establish the run we can control the game!
-Stanford is not a great pass defense, but if they 
know your passing the ball every down they 
will drop eight and make it very hard for us!
BALANCE!
Coach Martin will have to call a good game!

2. IF..IF we show up on defense!
-Stanford can run the ball...control the run,
force them to pass, which they are not great 
at and you control the game!

JARRON JONES and TUITT and FOX and CARLO
will all have to have the games of their year!

3. IF...IF we don't turn the ball over!

But is it "realistic"? 


I mean...they've played tougher teams!

They've seen "elite" speed!

We are BEAT UP...and have several starters out!

It's at their house!

They are still dumb enough to think this was a TD!
   Things have just not gone our way this year?

But....this is why they play the game..

This is why the IRISH have the word "FIGHTING" in 
their name!

This is our chance....will we RISE UP...or get beat down?

Are we "optimistic" with good reason?

Or are we just not being "realistic"?

Well my brothers and sisters...it's gonna be about the 
"X's and O's" of the game...


ND-One of only 3 teams with 3 wins over 
BCS top 25 teams!

ND-has two wins over BCS top 12 teams!

ND-had played 7 top 50 defenses and is 4-3 

Stanford- has played 3 top 50 defenses and is 2-1

Stanford- has played 6 top 50 offenses and is 4-2

ND has played 2...and is 2-0

You know what...I'm not really sure what it all means....but 
it seems to me that this is gonna be one hell of a game!

What this means to me...in a season playing with a QB 
that was never recruited to be the starter, and with 
the amount of injuries we've experienced....Hell I'm not mad at ya!

Just imagine what happens next year!

For that my friends I'm very OPTIMISTIC
and that feeling is very REALISTIC!


GO IRISH and GOD BLESS!




Sunday, November 10, 2013

Wow...That game made me....Uh..

Let me tell you right now...this may sting a bit,
but if I don't get this outta my system, I may 
cut my own ear off in frustration!

This game...this scheme..this COMPLETE 
pooch screw that we laid on the field 
in Pittsburgh...is exactly what would NOT
be happening if we had all 
the right pieces!

I'm not here to make any excuses for this game!

Throw Tuitt out for nothing?... F-U it's Pitt!

Turn the ball over three times?... F-U it's Pitt!

Play with absolutely no emotion?... F-U it's PITT!!!!

Now...let's assign some blame!

Your Honor I'd like to call Coach Chuck Martin 
to the stand....

What in the Hell was that last night?

First things first...You do realize we are playing with a 
skeleton crew on defense...We are stopping NO ONE!

So slowing the game down and pounding the 
ball to protect this defense at 
it's most vulnerable state??

That never crossed you're mind?...no? 

So you decide that with the absence of what?...6 starters 
on our defense, and losing our 1st round Daft pick
D lineman...that trying to sling the ball 
around on a team that ANYONE has rushed 
on in the past was a great idea?

No...let's not run the ball at all in the second half?

No..let's reward the ONLY REAL running back 
on the team, that broke the freshman rushing record
THE WEEK BEFORE with what,
FOUR touches the ENTIRE GAME?

Really?...That made sense to you?
I mean I know it's Pitt, and they are 63rd in the country 
vs the rush....so that should be intimidating!

At one point I was expecting to see Weis's big ass
burping his way though a press conference
after this debacle!


Coach Brian Kelly, do you swear to tell the 
truth, the whole truth and nothing 
but the truth?

What in the world?...Take control brother!

Look...this is year four, and if a player is just 
not progressing...then you gotta get him 
outta there, regardless of the "C" on his uniform!

We have Defensive secondary running around like 
fairy tale characters!

If it's not a players night...then SIT THEM DOWN!

Let's get some new blood flowing!
Eilar Hardy
Devin Butler
Max Redfield

You can't tell me, that at WORST, these kids 
wouldn't at least TACKLE the player when 
they have one running at them!

I hope Coach Kelly takes a HUGE long
look in the mirror and says..
"WOW...That was fu#king embarrassing!" 

With our 3rd string we should beat Pitt by 20!

Look...I'm not looking to "NEG" you out...but 
this season is what this season is....we got caught
with our pants down!

We were a motor-cross racer without the proper 
spare tires on the truck!


This is Notre Dame's offense!

Got a great engine...speed and is full of horsepower.

But the front wheel is Tommy Rees....God love Tommy,
I'll never fault a kid for giving 100%, he is just 
limited...he's a great kid, and in a game 
when everything is clicking...he's more than 
enough to win...

But in a game when we need a QB to put the team on 
his back and lead....to make something from nothing.

In a game where we are needing the offense to bail out
the defense...Tommy is a square wheel on a dirt bike!

It may roll clumsily here to there,
but it's never gonna be smooth enough
 to win a race!

The quarterback at Notre Dame affects both sides of the ball
when you run a Brian Kelly type system.

Why was our D so dominant last year...The offense had long 
sustained drives...Keeping the defense fresh and ready!

By the time our 65 yard, 11 play 5 min drive was 
over...the D was rested and ready to attack!

When we had a 3rd and 4....if no one was open, Golson
would take off and get the first..When the pocket collapsed, Golson
would rush and gouge the defense for 15!

When the play would break down, Golson would scramble and
someone would get behind a defender and he had the arm
to make them pay!

Trust me my IRISH family....the darkest hours often 
produce the greatest light!

We have 3 more games....then we roll into spring 
ball with a commander at the helm of this 
battleship!

BIGGER-STRONGER-FASTER

And mentored by the best QB coach in the country!

The missing piece is returning...time to make the picture!

GO IRISH & GOD BLESS

**My editor was busy tonight...so sorry for the 
grammatical errors!

Can't get my secretary to accept editing my 
blog as part of her job description! 


















Friday, November 1, 2013

There are girls you date, then there are spring break girls!

Life is all about timing...and anticipation!

The timing of an event must be right in order to test our
normal everyday standards!

Like when you trying to work out and eat right...then 
some lady brings brownies into work with cream cheese icing!

You don't want to eat one..but damn they are right there, 
and it's just bad timing!

Anticipation will build excitement if you 
can get excited about normal everyday
opponents?

Navy reminds me of spring break!

There were girls you'd date...if your buddies where 
watching..Then there were girls you'd date, cause 
all your buddies where out of town on spring break!

Make sense?...Navy is the full figured lady!

Yeah...she's pretty...She's nice and she's here...but 
damn, she's a bit bigger than the standard you're used too!

Now to the "idiotic" fan of other programs pointing out 
Navy on our schedule is like justifying playing teams 
from Florida with an "A&M" behind their name!

But to the "educated" fan we all know why Navy has 
a relationship with Notre Dame and that is to be 
respected and honored!


But Navy can be like that full figured girl A LOT!

When your not looking this can happen!
She creeps away and re-appears and SHOCKS YA!

Navy is one of those teams!

In the past 4 years they've:

Taken Ohio State to the final minutes 
and the Buckeyes barely escaped!

Taken South Carolina at home to the 
wire..and the Cocks barely escaped!

They run the ball...they are very disciplined, and they
play with heart cause they all know: They are 
NEVER gonna play football beyond this 
stage of life!

So you have to respect them!

So who are the 2013 Navy football team?

4-3
Wins over:
Indiana- Nobody
Pitt- Nobody this year
Deleware- ? Uh yeah
Air Force- Bad

Losses to:
Western Kentucky- I got nothing
Duke- Not much better
Toledo- and were done!

They are 61st in Total Defense

89th in Rush Defense 

And...as always a top 10 rushing team!

Now with that being said..this should be a very 
similar game to the Air Force match-up from
last week!

On to more interesting topics:


Watkins is IRISH as I'm sure most 
of you have heard!

I first laid eyes on Watkins at the ND coaches clinic
in March...The kid walked around the practice 
like a 1st round draft pick being shopped 
by NFL teams...he is not short on confidence 
that's for sure!

From what I heard just this morning this is domino 
one, in a decent size line that should be dropping 
in the next few weeks!

Then we have a few that are "work in progress" type
of situations...

 Two are HUGE names ready to pop,
and one that popped, then un-popped, all 
are due to academics!

These kids getting into ND will be a marathon not
a sprint...so don't expect them anytime soon!

One would be as big a get as Jaylon last season and 
can play ANY position...but he's gonna have to hit the 
books hard to even come close!

The other is a substantial need with what I'm sure will be
 a mass exit of our current D line come draft day!

But again this kid is not splitting the atom anytime soon!

Sometimes being ND is hard...cause at any other school
they'd already be committed regardless of grades!

A big time Offensive playmaker is getting ready to 
join the ranks also...just working on timing!



We are on the verge of taking that next step 
in the re-birth of the IRISH program!

Notice since Kelly's arrival each recruiting class 
get's better and better!

Each season more and more young talent hits the 
roster and is making a substantial impact!

Aggression

Speed

Determination

Kelly recruits a different breed of kid than we've seen 
at Notre Dame in a very long time!

No more free lunches!

No more 5'11 D tackles!

If ND offers...there's a reason!

So with that being said...not much going on,
the team is together...a bit dinged up but timing 
seems to be on our side with 
the bye week approaching!

Get a W vs Navy!

Move on to Pitt!

Relax and get healthy!

Cause BYU is no walk in the park!

Then it's time to chop some trees!



So drink it if ya got it, and have a great weekend!

GO IRISH & GOD BLESS! 


Picked up this locker name tag this week...
Just felt right to me....May you walk with the 
angels big Ace...See ya again some day and 
rest in peace!
GO IRISH!